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THE CONSERVATION STATUS OF MIGRATORY SHARKS THE CONSERVATION STATUS OF MIGRATORY SHARKS Imprint 2 Imprint Published by the Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks Recommended citation: FOWLER, S. (2014). THE CONSERVATION STATUS OF MIGRATORY SHARKS 1 UNEP / CMS Secretariat, Bonn, Germany. 30 pages. Prepared by: UNEP/CMS Secretariat, Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Sharks Author: Sarah Fowler Cover Photos: T-B: Scalloped Hammerhead Sharks (Sphyrna lewini): Norbert Probst / Image Broker / Robert Harding; Shortfin Mako (Isurus oxyrinchus): Oceans and Coast Team, SA Back Cover Photo Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus): Blue Media Exmouth Design: Karina Waedt, www.karinadesign.de Footnote 1: “Shark” means any of the migratory species, subspecies or populations in the Class Chondrichthyes (which includes sharks, rays, skates and chimaeras) © 2014 UNEP/CMS. This publication, except the cover photograph, may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for educational and other non-profit purposes without special permission from the copyright holder, provided acknowledgement of the source is made. The UNEP/CMS Secretariat would appreciate receiving a copy of any publication that uses this publication as a source. No use of this publication may be made for resale or for any other commercial purposes whatsoever without prior permission from the United Nations Environmental Programme. DISCLAIMER The contents of this volume do not necessarily reflect the views of UNEP/CMS or contributory organisations. The designations employed and the presentation do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNEP/CMS or contributory organisations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area in its authority, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Copies of this publication are available from the UNEP/CMS Secretariat website: http://www.cms.int UNEP / CMS Secretariat This publication was sponsored by the European UN Campus Commission through the ENRTP* Strategic Platz der Vereinten Nationen 1 Cooperation Agreement with UNEP. D-53113 Bonn, Germany Tel (+49 228) 815 24 01/02 *Thematic Programme for Environment and Fax (+49 228) 815 24 49 Sustainable Management of Natural Resources E-mail: [email protected] including Energy. www.cms.int ISBN 13 978-3-937429-79-3 THE CONSERVATION STATUS OF MIGRATORY SHARKS Abbreviations 3 Abbreviations CCAMLR Commission on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources CCSBT Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora CMS Convention on Migratory Species COFI Committee on Fisheries of the FAO CR Critically Endangered (in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species) DEFRA Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (UK) DD Data Deficient (in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species) EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone (usually extends 200 nautical miles from the coast) EN Endangered (in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species) FAO United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization GFCM General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean GROMS Global Register of Migratory Species HELCOM Helsinki Commission (governing body for the Helsinki Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area) IATTC Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission ICCAT International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas IOTC Indian Ocean Tuna Commission IPOA International Plan of Action IUCN World Conservation Union LC Least Concern (in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species) MEA Multi-lateral Environmental Agreement MOU Memorandum of Understanding NAFO Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization NEAFC North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission NPOA National Plan of Action NT Near Threatened (in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species) OSPAR Convention for the protection of the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic RAC/SPA Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas (UNEP, Mediterranean) RFMO Regional Fisheries Management Organization SEAFO South-east Atlantic Fisheries Organization SSC Species Survival Commission (of IUCN–the World Conservation Union) SSG Shark Specialist Group TAC Total Allowable Catch UNCLOS United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea UNEP United Nations Environment Program UNFSA United Nations Fish Stock Agreement VU Vulnerable (in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species) WCPFC Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission THE CONSERVATION STATUS OF MIGRATORY SHARKS Contents 4 Contents Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................................... 5 Summary........................................................................................................................................................................... 6 1 Background .................................................................................................................................................... 7 2 The status of migratory sharks............................................................................................ 8 2.1 Taxonomic diversity ...........................................................................................................8 2.2 Migratory status ................................................................................................................9 2.3 Red List status ...................................................................................................................9 2.4 CMS Conservation status of migratory chondrichthyans .................................................12 3 Legal and management status of migratory sharks ................... 15 3.1 Fisheries management ....................................................................................................15 3.2 Biodiversity conservation ................................................................................................21 4 Conclusions................................................................................................................................................. 22 References ................................................................................................................................................................... 23 Appendix: Species lists ............................................................................................................................... 24 THE CONSERVATION STATUS OF MIGRATORY SHARKS Acknowledgements 5 Acknowledgements This review was prepared by Sarah Fowler, Vice-chair The original SSG migratory sharks project, including (International Treaties) of the IUCN Species Survival the preparation of the databases and presentations Commission’s Shark Specialist Group (SSG). It to the Scientific Council Meeting in Bonn (March updates sections of the Background Paper presented 2007) and the first Migratory Sharks Meeting in at the first Migratory Sharks meeting in Seychelles the Seychelles (December 2007), was funded by the and the 2007 joint IUCN/CMS Review of Migratory Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Chondrichthyan Fishes. (Defra UK). The CMS Secretariat also supported the publication of the joint IUCN/CMS Review of The contribution of the Shark Specialist Group Migratory Chondrichthyan Fishes (Fowler and Valenti volunteer network to this study was invaluable. 2007). Numerous organisations have funded the SSG volunteers assisted with the identification of Shark Specialist Group’s GSRLA, including Defra, migratory shark species for inclusion in the migratory Conservation International, the Packard Foundation, shark and batoid databases prepared for CMS in the Save our Seas Foundation, Pew Lenfest Program, 2007. Furthermore, over 300 national, regional and Marine Conservation Biology Institute, and many international SSG and many other experts from 64 other generous donors. countries participated in the Global Shark Red List Assessment (GSRLA). The GSRLA evaluated the Sarah Fowler’s contributions to the development of global Red List status of all species of chondrichthyan the CMS Migratory Sharks programme and part of fishes (the sharks, batoid fishes and chimaeras) and her contributions to the GSRLA were made possible is a contribution to the IUCN’s Global Marine Red by the Pew Marine Fellows Program. List Assessment. THE CONSERVATION STATUS OF MIGRATORY SHARKS Summary 6 Summary The review analyses the migratory and threatened The eight species listed in the CMS Appendices status of the 1,093 species of chondrichthyan fishes represent fewer than 15% of the 55 threatened species (about 60 families of sharks, skates and chimaeras) of migratory and possibly migratory sharks identified included in the IUCN Red List online database by this study, or 15% of the sharks listed in Annex I, in June 2012. Seventeen per cent of all species are Highly Migratory Species, of the UN Convention on assessed as threatened (182 species are Vulnerable, the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Only ‘Vulnerable’ Endangered or Critically Endangered), 12% (133 species have been protected through CMS. There are species) as Near Threatened, and only 25% (274 no Endangered or Critically Endangered migratory species) as Least Concern – the lowest proportion of species listed in the Appendices and no species
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